Alumna Serena Sáenz receives Daphne Next Generation Award 2026
Eisler alumna Serena Sáenz has been awarded the Danish Research Foundation's Daphne Next Generation Award 2026, which comes with a prize of €100,000. The Spanish soprano completed her master's degree and concert exam at the Eisler under Prof. Anna Samuil.
The main winner of the Daphne Award is pianist Lang Lang. The ceremony will take place on 14 May 2026 at the Tivoli Concert Hall, with the participation of the Tivoli Copenhagen Philharmonic conducted by Alondra de la Parra. The Daphne Awards are the first awards to combine music and science.
“In medical research and clinical care, music has shown a remarkable capacity to ease anxiety, support emotional balance and stimulate memory. Yet beyond therapy, music and science together embody two complementary ways of understanding the human condition: one through reason, the other through resonance. In an age of growing fragmentation, sustaining both is not a privilege but a necessity. Without science we lose understanding; without culture, we lose ourselves.” Peter Lodahl, spokesman of the Daphne Awards
Serena Sáenz is considered one of the most exciting young sopranos on the international opera stage. She is celebrated for her outstanding musicality and radiant timbre and has quickly established herself at leading opera houses. Since her success at the 2022 Operalia competition, she has been a regular guest at the Vienna State Opera, the Berlin State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
In the 2025/26 season, Serena Sáenz will make her debut in major roles, including Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Adina (L'elisir d'amore), Gilda (Rigoletto), Aminta (Die schweigsame Frau) and Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro). Her repertoire includes Mozart, bel canto and contemporary works. She is in high demand for both opera and concert projects. In 2025, she released her debut album BIRDS with a lyrical coloratura programme inspired by the world of songbirds.
Born in Barcelona, Serena Sáenz began her career at a young age at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and completed her training in Barcelona and at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin.
www.serenasaenz.com
www.danishresearchfoundation.com/
www.daphneawards.org/